Jonathan Huberdeau opens up about the Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup win

"I'm happy for the guys, they worked hard. Aleksander Barkov, I've been with him for years, he works so hard. Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett too," lists Huberdeau.

"It's hard to see the guys lift the cup. You tell yourself: I was there for 10 years, during difficult times. But that's how you build a team. When you're young, you don't care, you just want to build your career. Now, I'm back in this situation, but a little older."

"Tkachuk has arrived [in Florida], and yes, he is good," concedes Huberdeau. But Tkachuk is well surrounded. They have talent, you see. Bill Zito was good at picking up guys like Ekman-Larsson and Kulikov, who were not doing well elsewhere. And a coach like Paul Maurice. I really thought they were going to win."

With his production down and a contract worth $10.5 million per year until 2031, he's stuck in Alberta. "I'm sure it's tough to get traded. I knew it by signing the contract, but I didn't know how it was going to go. I thought I was going to produce points, that it would go well, but the more defensive game system didn't help.

"It's never fun to be in rebuilding mode. When you are young, you can learn, gain maturity, you have the time. But at 31, you want to win and you want to win now. It's tougher to swallow, but you have to accept your role 100%." Huberdeau accepts it by supporting his young compatriot Jakob Pelletier. "Jaromir Jagr taught me a lot of things. This time, I'm the one helping Pelletier, but I also try to help others. But it's certain that there's a more special connection between Québécois."